Last Updated:
February 4, 2012

Signin or Signup to submit Article
Posts tagged "Akhlaaq"

Christian cleared of abusing Muslim

hotel_Vogelenzang_657513aA Christian couple who run a hotel in northern England were cleared on Wednesday of abusing a Muslim guest for wearing a hijab and then insulting her beliefs.

Benjamin and Sharon Vogelenzang were accused of launching a tirade against white British Muslim convert Ericka Tazi, 60, at their hotel in Liverpool where she had been staying while she attended a course at a local hospital in March.

Tazi, who converted to Islam 18 months ago, said they had laughed at her when she wore a hijab on the last day of her stay and Dutch-born Benjamin Vogenlenzang, 53, had called the prophet Mohammed a murderer and likened him to Saddam Hussein and Hitler.

Sharon Vogelenzang, 54, admitted suggesting that the hijab was a form of bondage but said her views were based on media references to Muslim women.

The couple also told the court that Tazi had insulted their religion by calling Jesus Christ a minor prophet and said the bible was untrue.

After a two-day trial judge Richard Clancy at Liverpool Magistrates Court dismissed charges the hoteliers had used threatening, abusive or insulting words which were religiously aggravated, the Press Association reported.

Mrs Tazi

Mrs Tazi

He said Tazi’s claim she had been abused for up to an hour had not been borne out by other prosecution witnesses.

Prosecutors defended bringing the case, saying they believed there had been sufficient evidence for a realistic chance of a conviction.

“We would like to thank all those who have supported us over the last nine months — our family, our friends, our church, and Christians from all around the world and non-Christians,” Sharon Vogelenzang told reporters outside court after the verdict.”As Christmas approaches we wish everybody peace and goodwill.”

Views : 53

Good Akhlaaq

Allah Ta’ala has said:

“Most certainly, you (O Muhammad!) have been created on a great character.”

Below is a list of praiseworthy chracteristics and attributes that all Muslims should try to adopt:

1. To believe oneself to be the most inferior. Its’ opposite is takabbur (pride).

2. Kindness to creation and to tolerate the difficulties and inconveniences they cause one.

3. Tenderness and cheerfulness and to abandon anger.

4. Sympathy for others and to give preference to them. This implies priority to the rights of others over one’s pleasures.

5. To be generous.

6. To overlook the wrongs of others and to forgive them.

7. To abstain from pretence.

8. To spend in moderation, without being miserly or wasteful.

9. To have trust in Allah.

10. To be contented with little worldly possessions.

11. To adopt piety.

12. To refrain from arguing, quarreling and being wrathful except for the truth.

13. To abstain from malice and envy.

14. To abstain from the desire of respect and fame.

15. To fulfill promises.

16. To be tolerant, far-sighted and supportive of brothers.

17. Gratitude to the benefactor.

18. To sacrifice reputation for the sake of Muslims.

Views : 48

Impact of Naseehah in Ramadan: A Short Story

flameIn this Month of mercy and barakah, it is not abnormal for people’s hearts to be open to good. Among the khair to which their hearts are open are good words; good words of advice to a dear brother or sister. Many a time we would love to advise someone, but something holds us back. Most probably, it is fear of their reaction. In this blessed month, the hearts of the Believers are softened and are more willing to listen. Thus it is an opportunity for us all to try to increase our deeds in this area.

A story which really showed the impact of a sincere naseehah from one brother to another in this blessed month is that related by our Shaykh Muhammad al-Arefe, an outstanding da’eeyah, mainly active in the Arab and Muslim world. I thought to share this beautiful story with you. (If you are interested and understand Arabic, you can listen to the entire lecture where he shared this story titled “Enni Sa’em” ["I am Fasting"] here). (more…)

Views : 41

Mothers In Islam

Mothers In Islam

All praise is for Allah and peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammed, May Allah send peace and blessings upon him.
After Allah and his Messenger May Allah send peace and blessings upon him, the most beloved and respected person to a Muslim should be his mother! Allah has given the mother such status that He says,

Paradise lies under the feet of mothers.


Narrated Abu Huraira:

A man came to Allah’s Apostle and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Your mother.” The man said. “Who is next?” The Prophet said, “Your mother.” The man further said, “Who is next?” The Prophet said, “Your mother.” The man asked for the fourth time, “Who is next?” The Prophet said, “Your father.”
(Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 2)
Obedience and respect towards your mother is a very important duty in Islam and is similar to performing Salaah and keeping fast. To hurt your mother in any way is the second biggest sin and those who commit this evil sin will be harshly punished by Allah in the hereafter or maybe even in this world!
Your mother is not a Prophet, nor is she an angel; she’s just a human like you and I, so why has Allah ordered you to be obedient towards your mother and why does your mother have such a high status in Islam?
Allah loves and cares for us more than anybody else, and he especially loves those people who love and care for others. Similarly, he becomes very angry with those people who hurt other people in any way. Allah the All-Knowing, knows that in this world nobody is more loving and caring towards another person than the way that a mother is towards her child. Only Allah and his Messenger May Allah send peace and blessings upon him love you more than your mother!
Only Allah knows what your mother does for you, He sees your mother feeling pain whilst she tries to give you whatever you want. He sees your mother’s love and kindness. Pleased by your mother’s actions, Allah has given her a very high status and many virtues and rewards.

Allah also sees that many of us are not thankful to our mothers. He sees many of us being disobedient towards them. Therefore, Allah has ordered us to be good towards our mothers; he has not advised us but ordered us; we have no choice; therefore we have to be good towards our mothers! To encourage us to do this, Allah Taa’la has promised paradise for those of us who are obedient towards our mothers. At the same time, Allah has threatened to severely punish those of us who do not listen to our mothers or hurt them in any way.

But what does your Mother do for you? She only cooks and cleans! So why do you need to be thankful to your Mother?
Apart from Allah, nobody knows what our Mother really does for us.

10 Wonderful reasons to be

grateful to your mother

1. Your mother carried you for 9 months bearing pain upon pain.

2. During this time, she could not eat becuase of you! She could not sleep because of you!
3. When you were a baby, she spent every minute of her life looking after you!
4. She only slept when you slept! She only ate after you had eaten!
5. She was patient and loved you even when you cried all night and when you cried all day !
6. She taught you how to walk, how to speak, how to eat, she taught you how to live!
7. When you fall ill, she looks after you!
8. She always cooks and prepared food for you !
9. She buys you whatever you ask for !
10. She loves you unconditionally !

These are just a few things that our Mothers do for us; they do so much more of which we do not know about. However, one thing that your Mother does for you, that nobody else in the world does, is that she worries about you from the bottom of her Heart.

So what is it she worries about ?

She WORRIES about your food!
She WORRIES about your clothes!
She WORRIES about your health!
She WORRIES about your education!
She WORRIES about your future!
She WORRIES about your whole life !

Allah has ordered us, in various places of the Holy Qur’an, to be good to our mothers. He has told us to look after them even more when they are old and weak. He has taught us to be gentle to our mothers and speak to them in a nice manner. He has also told us to supplicate to Him for our Mothers with this prayer,

RABBIR-HAMHUMA KAMA

RABBAYANI SAGHEERAH

Transalation :

My lord, have mercy upon my

parents, the way they had mercy

upon me when I was young)

The Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him has also ordered us to be good to our mothers. He has told us about the great rewards for that person who is good to his mother. He has described the mother as being a ‘door of paradise.’ He has also warned us of severe punishments for that person who is disobedient to his mother.

10 Easy Ways To Enter Paradise

1. LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER
2. HELP YOUR MOTHER
3. SMILE AT YOUR MOTHER
4. BE THANKFUL TO YOUR MOTHER FOR WHATEVER SHE DOES FOR YOU
5. SPEND TIME WITH YOUR MOTHER
6. ALWAYS ASK YOUR MOTHER IF YOU CAN HELP HER WITH ANYTHING
7. BUY YOUR MOTHER GIFTS
8. BE GOOD TO YOUR MOTHER’S FAMILY AND FRIENDS
9. STUDY HARD AND LEAD A GOOD LIFE SO THAT YOUR MOTHER IS HAPPY
10. ALWAYS PRAY FOR YOUR MOTHER, ESPECIALLY AFTER EVERY SALAAH.

Warning :

Those who are disobedient to their

mothers will burn in hellfire.

However hard we try, we can never repay our mothers for what they have done for us, but we can at least try, and also ask Allah to repay them for us. Our mothers are indeed a great blessing from Allah. We should appreciate and value this blessing as much as we can. Whilst our mothers are alive, we have a golden opportunity to guarantee ourselves paradise and also success in this world.

Reminder :

We will only truly realise the value

of our mothers when they are no

longer with us – when they have

passed away, but then it will be too

late!

Views : 38

Raising money to keep kids being kids

University of Calgary student Sheraz Ali Khan

University of Calgary student Sheraz Ali Khan

It’s a place that brings children together — to laugh, learn and grow — and reminds these youngsters what it is to be a child.

Instead of working, over 25 Pakistani youth aged three to 13-years-old, are spending their youth alongside other children, learning English, math and Urdu in a small, one-room classroom.

Twenty-three-year-old University of Calgary international relations student, Sheraz Ali Khan, and 12 friends from the Pakistani Youth Organization started the initiative more than three years ago in their hometown of Karachi.

“It’s a large city, but there are so many areas where youngsters are deprived of quality education,” Khan explains. “…We went to the houses of every parent. It was one of the most difficult tasks, because each parent wanted their children to go and earn for them.”

Named after an ambitious young friend who died in a motorcycle accident at only 23-years-old, The Tauseef Memorial School is run out of Khan’s father’s home in Pakistan. Someday, the group hopes to move the school into a separate building.

So far Khan, who moved to Canada from Pakistan in 2007, has raised about $500. (more…)

Views : 46

Studying Muslim integration in Europe

One of the most pervasive underlying assumptions in the discourse on European Muslim integration is that Muslim religiosity is a threat to Europe. Those who believe in the irreconcilability of western and Muslim identity generally argue that Muslim piety, expressed in religious symbols and moral conservatism, contrasted against the backdrop of secular and sexually liberal Europe, is a recipe for increasingly insular Muslim communities and profound alienation from European national identity. These isolated communities, the argument continues, not only represent an illiberal island challenging western democratic values, but are a “cesspool” for radicalisation.

Integration, defined as conformity with majority culture, is therefore seen as a vital security measure and a defence against dual loyalty citizens.

However, the recent Gallup study paints a very different picture. While Muslims in three European countries are indeed highly religious and socially conservative, this neither leads to a sympathy for terrorist acts, a desire to isolate nor a lack of national loyalty.

The Gallup Coexist Index is a global study of public perceptions regarding interfaith relations spanning four continents. The sampled population in the UK included 1,001 respondents from all over the country interviewed by phone through RDD (random digit dial). In addition, 504 respondents who self-identified as Muslim were polled in face-to-face interviews in England, Wales and Scotland. (more…)

Views : 40

The Fingre:

You missed a spot!” The young girl said, pointing a finger at the window that her older sister was cleaning. Her sister did not look pleased. And why should she? Her hard work was being criticized by her idle sister.

Too many times we criticize our brethren, both in blood and in Islam, when we ourselves do not look at our own faults. How many times have we slandered our brothers, backbitten them, been harsh to them, and even boycotted them for something we could have easily done ourselves? And all this is usually done before any real attempt at naseehah is made.

(more…)

Views : 45